In the Footsteps of Liberation
Every year, Pilsen hosts the Freedom Festival, which draws people from all over the world to celebrate, together with the city’s residents and military veterans, the liberation of Czechoslovakia by Allied forces in May 1945. However, celebrations of the liberation take place throughout the region.
Most of the territory of today’s Czech Republic was occupied by the Soviet Army, while the majority of western Bohemia was occupied by units of General George Patton’s Third U.S. Army. Pilsen welcomed the soldiers bearing the white star on May 6 and became the final stop on the Allied forces’ journey across the European continent. Since 1990, Pilsen has symbolically returned to the year 1945 every May. The Festival of Freedom is held here, attracting people from all over the world to commemorate the liberation by the U.S. Army. Until recently, the participation of veterans—whose annual visits are always deeply emotional—formed the foundation of the program. As time goes on, however, the number of veterans is dwindling. Only a few individuals remain whose health, despite their advanced age, allows them to make the arduous journey to the Czech Republic. For this reason, the city of Plzeň is striving to take the liberation celebrations to the next level—one that would ensure the continuity of the Festival of Freedom, preserve tradition, honor the memory of pivotal moments in history, and, above all, strengthen our freedom today. The program of the Festival of Freedom is divided into several parts. These include regularly recurring events, such as a convoy of historic military vehicles, commemorative gatherings at World War II memorials, and discussions with veterans.
